Rickshaw pullers in Dhaka staged a protest at Shahbagh on Monday, demanding a ban on battery-powered autorickshaws from operating on the city's main roads.
The protesters blocked the Shahbagh intersection from 10am, raising slogans such as "Illegal autorickshaws will not be allowed to run" and "No tolerance for discrimination in Bangladesh."
The foot-driven rickshaw pullers also held demonstrations in other parts of the capital, including Manik Mia Avenue and Karwan Bazar.
They argued that the increasing presence of battery-powered rickshaws on the roads is severely affecting their livelihoods, as they are unable to compete with these faster vehicles.
At around 12:15pm, the rickshaw pullers announced a 72-hour ultimatum for the authorities to ban autorickshaws from the main roads.
"Autorickshaws never used to ply on the main roads. Now, we are not getting any fares because of them. Our demand is simple — the government can reinstate the previous rules if it wants. We are giving them 72 hours to do so," one protester said.
The rickshaw pullers, organized by a Dhaka City Corporation rickshaw owners’ alliance, expressed their frustration, saying: "If we don't earn fares, how will we support our families? We follow the rules to make a living driving rickshaws, but battery-powered rickshaws disregard any regulations. We want the government to enforce the rules as before."
During the protest at Shahbagh, the rickshaw pullers presented a seven-point demand, which includes halting the operation of battery or motorized rickshaws on the capital's streets.
They also called for Dhaka North City Corporation to issue new licenses for rickshaw ownership and renew old ones, similar to Dhaka South City Corporation.
Other demands include issuing driver licenses from both city corporations to increase government revenue and protect licensed rickshaw professionals, providing free medical treatment for sick drivers on Fridays, and issuing business trade licenses to licensed rickshaw professionals.
